Town hall meeting on proposed help from County

FALLBROOK – There will be a town hall meeting with the County of San Diego’s Parks and Recreation Department on March 17 to provide the community with information on what it would take to create a taxpayer-funded Landscape Maintenance District for Fallbrook. The meeting will be conducted in Fallbrook Public Utility District’s (FPUD's) community room, 990 E. Mission Road, at 2 p.m.

It will be a County of San Diego meeting, not an FPUD board meeting.

County staff will conduct the workshop, providing details on cost and potential projects, answering questions, and assessing community interest in the idea.

If a Landscape Maintenance District is developed, that means the county could take over many local projects such as improvements to Jackie Heyneman Park, funding for other existing parks and new recreational facilities in the community – such as a skateboard park, improvements along East Mission and South Mission roads, and improvements to downtown Fallbrook. Other potential projects are listed below.

Currently this type of activity falls solely on the volunteer organizations in Fallbrook. Those organizations must find and secure funding, either in the form of donations or by applying for grants.

FPUD board members have expressed interest for the idea.

“We rely totally on the county for funding and although the county has been generous in funding capital projects, they are prohibited from contributing funds to maintain those projects,” Don McDougal, FPUD board member, said. “Therefore, local community members are responsible for fundraising to maintain the community.”

FPUD is simply providing a place for the county to have the meeting. County staff will explain the procedural steps and gage community interest at the meeting. If there is enough interest, the county will conduct studies which would eventually be submitted to the Board of Supervisors for a vote. If approved, it would go to the ballot for voters to decide.

Other potential projects include:

· Repair of sidewalks

· Hardscape improvements

· Care of the landscape medians by Fallbrook High School

· Help making signage in Fallbrook more uniform and cohesive

· Giving the community the ability to purchase land for parks, trails and pathways

· Providing the necessary tax base for these projects